This invention relates to treadmills.
A typical treadmill generally has a base, a pair of parallel, spaced rollers journalled in the base, and an endless belt entrained around the rollers. An upper reach of the belt extends between the rollers. One of the rollers is powered by a suitable motor to rotate the roller, thereby moving the belt with the rollers. The moving upper reach provides a running/walking surface upon which a user may walk or run. A forward post extends up from the base for supporting a control panel. The control panel typically has controls for turning the treadmill on and off and for varying the speed of the belt. The control panel also often has indicators for selectively displaying operational information such as speed, distance traveled, time, etc. The user may press a suitable button on the control panel to toggle between two or more different displays.
A disadvantage of conventional treadmills is that users wishing to access the control panel must run or walk on the forward-most portion of the upper reach. If the user's foot inadvertently strikes the stationary base while the user is walking or running on the upper reach, then the user may lose his or her balance.